Cinemanila 2025: Review of REPULIKA NG PIPOLIPINAS:

October 8, 2025

50 year-old Corazon D. Vitug (Geraldine Villamil) was a widow and childless. The carabao she considered her son for 17 years had also passed away. Now, the municipal government of Pulong Palay was laying claim on her farmland, but she would not cave in and sell out. Exasperated, Cora declared that she and her farm are seceding from the Philippines, calling herself the President of her own micro-nation, the Republic of Pipolipinas. 

While Cora bravely faced the aggressive tactics of the Mayor Prospero Dakila IV (Omar Perez) and his minions, she had at least two young people on her side -- Ekay (Natalie Maligalig) and Ogie (JM Salvado). Ekay considered Cora her second mom because her real mother, town hall employee Juliet Lipana (Kakki Teodoro), was always busy at work. When Cora's plight went viral online, it attracted the attention of actress Alessandra da Rossi to help her cause.

Majority of writer-director Renei Dimla's body of work had been on TV. This is only her third feature film screenplay, and is the first full-length feature she directed. She called this film a mockumentary, as the subject and event covered was purely fictional, with an intention to satirize. We hear her voice as she and her camera followed Cora around her daily routines and through all her political travails, while she interviewed the townspeople with her.

As this was a satire on the subject of citizens standing firm against political oppression, the humor was on the darker side. We cannot bring ourselves to laugh out loud at Dimla's absurd situations because deep inside we can relate to and feel Cora's difficulties. This film also takes a timely and pertinent shot at corruption at the level of the local governments, here in the form of garbage disposal company supposedly owned by a foreign national.  

When there were more members of Pipolipinas, we felt bad when President Cora gets pushed back by the more educated, more opinionated and more popular. Unfortunately, this is the way our democracy works. When someone nominated actress Alessandra de Rossi (playing herself, tongue-in-cheek) for president, we applaud that anonymous man who bravely clapped back, saying "Filipinos do not want actors in politics anymore because they are corrupt." 

One of the surprising things I learned when watching this film was the existence of an organization called the Association of Micronations in the Philippine Islands, represented by the current president of Kaleido, who had a cameo in this film. So, now we know that micronations actually exist in the Philippines, and there are more than one of them. I did not seriously think that Dimla's concept of Pilopilipinas was not so far-fetched after all. 

I had seen character actress Geraldine Villamil playing the title role of Mother Courage in a Dulaang UP production of "Nanay Bangis" last year. She had been in numerous local films and TV shows since 2009, and it is about time that she gets her very first lead role in a film. She was well-cast in the role, as she was able to achieve that difficult feat of balancing Cora's kindness of heart with strength of character and audacity of action.  7/10

Cinemalaya 2025: Review of OPEN ENDINGS: Cause to Commit

October 7, 2025

Gen Z lesbians Charlie (Janella Salvador), Hannah (Jasmine Curtis-Smith), Mihan (Leanne Mamonong) and Kit (Klea Pineda) had been lovers with each of the others in the past.  While they were technically were all exes of each other, yet they remained very close friends. One day, Hannah announced her engagement to her client Matteo (Migs Almendras). She didn't think that her upcoming wedding would triggered a sense of regret in one of the girls.

The cast was led two mainstream movie stars, Janella Salvador and Jasmine Curtis-Smith. They are already well-known quantities as actresses and they delivered on their portrayal of their respective characters as expected. Salvador's Charlie was a "real talk" type of friend, the talkative one, the active one. Curtis-Smiths's Hannah was the beauty of the group, both of face and of heart, so she was the easiest one to love among the four. 

This is Klea Pineda's first major film role, as she had mostly been acting on TV since winning StarStruck in 2015.  A lesbian in real life, Pineda was striking with her morena beauty and her height. However, Kit's current relations within their friend group had been purely platonic.  To lengthen her screen time, Pineda's Kit was a pre-school teacher who had a clandestine affair with Alexa (Yesh Burce), the mother of one of her students. 

The major spotlight was shone on lesbian musician Leanne Mamonong on her promising feature film debut. Her Mihan stood out because she was the only one of the four who wore a suit and pants when they tried out their wedding outfits. She had a mother Rina (Jackie Lou Blanco) who fully supported her. It was Mihan's emotional journey which was tracked most fully in this story, and Mamonong's sincere portrayal made us root her on. 

With the big name stars and the lush cinematography, this Nigel Santos film was a very mainstream type, than a "Cinemalaya" one. While there have been a number of GL films before, this was probably the only one where the four main lesbian characters all were ex-lovers. This gave this film a unique psychological milieu upon which the story of these friends revolved. Writer Keavy Vicente's ending was just as the title said it was going to be -- I wish it wasn't. 6/10

Cinemalaya 2025: Review of RAGING: Repression and Release

October 6, 2025

19 year-old Eli (Elijah Canlas) lived in a small hut in a remote forested area in Sibuyan Island, Romblon Province. Lately, he was being haunted by nightmares about himself wallowing in what looked like mud. Apparently he had experienced something traumatic about weeks ago which he kept to himself. He would just record himself verbalizing his thoughts day by day on cassette using his precious Walkman and listened to the drone of his voice on playback.  

This film was very much a slow-burn drama set in a rural community -- pretty much the signature style of works by writer-director Ryan Machado, whether it was his one-act plays or his debut film "Huling Palabas" (Cinemalaya 2023). This one felt even slower because the audience had no idea what happened to Eli, and nothing much was happening to give us any clue. The first mention of the incident was ever so subtle, as if it were just an afterthought. 

This traumatic incident that tormented Eli was also a metaphor for the ongoing abuse of Sibuyan by mining companies that continue to exploit nickel and other minerals illegally despite being officially banned. The area around the tallest peak Mt. Guiting-Guiting was supposed to be a protected natural park, but the Mayor himself oversees illegal mines there, mirroring the political corruption seen elsewhere in the country. Menfolk, like Ely's Tatay Manuel, are forced to endure dangerous work conditions in the mines because of their poverty. 

The language used in this film was the Ini language spoken on Sibuyan Island. Machado wrote the original script in Tagalog, then let Rodne Galicha translate to Ini, which Machado did not speak. It was remarkable that all the main actors, who only received their audio guides just days before the shoot, delivered their Ini lines in a very natural-looking manner, thanks to Galicha who was also the language coach on the set.  

This was practically a one-man show for skilled young actor Elijah Canlas. As he would in most of his past films, he also fit into the character of Eli like a glove.  Canlas convincingly portrayed the deep repression Eli subjected himself into, followed by the slow process by which he steadily extracted himself out of this funk. This consuming feeling of extreme shame quietly built-up within Eli, inevitably percolating into a violent eruption of pent-up rage. 

Reynald Raissel Santos played Eli's gay childhood friend Jepoy, a role that broke the monotony of grief that hung over the first two acts. Santos's Jepoy was a ray of sunshine, as she was smart and confident, a reassuring presence for constantly depressed Eli. The other supporting actors include Ron Angeles who played neighborhood ruffian Arjo, and Glenn Sevilla Mas, who played Mayor Bernardo, who thought Eli was crying wolf. 

The slow-burn, long silences approach may not sit well with impatient viewers. However for me, this deliberate groping-in-the-dark approach, this very gradual, very restrained revelation of the mysterious trauma that caused Eli's titular raging was precisely the best part of the movie-watching experience.  Because of this, I wonder why the synopsis of the film on the Cinemalaya website spoiled it outright by mentioning it in the very first sentence. I am glad I never read it before going in. Go into this blind. 7/10

Cinemalaya 2025: Review of CINEMARTYRS: Mesmerizing and Mystical Memories

October 5, 2025

Filmmaker Shirin Dalisay (Noor Hooshmand) screened her film about the a bloody episode during the Philippine-American War in the Ilocos before a panel of critics (Soliman Cruz, Rolando Inocencio, Emmanuel dela Cruz) in an effort to qualify for a full grant. She was recommended to fill in the "gap in historical perspective" by filming about another bloody episode during the Philippine-American War, this time in the south, in Sulu. 

"Cinemartyrs" is said to be based on writer-director Sari Dalena’s own experience making her first feature length documentary “Memories of a Forgotten War” (2001), about the Philippine-American War, a war that killed more Filipinos at the hands of American soldiers than in 300 years of Spanish colonial rule. Here, Dalena recreates the challenges faced by female film directors like her from misogynistic colleagues and critics. 

The film started with production assistant Oscar (Giancarlo Abrahan) was going around gathering cast and crew together so their remote location shoot in Ilocos can get going. They had light-hearted moments before the shoot, with stars Angel Aquino (as Mother Mary) and none other than Lav Diaz (as Kristo). Tensions rise when suddenly all the cameras fail to function at a critical moment of the shoot, invoking a sense of supernatural protest. 

In between the Ilocos and the Sulu shoots, we see Shirin frolicking with her boyfriend Kevin (Cedrick Juan) in the UP Film Center, and their encounter with National Artist Kidlat Tahimik talking about his "dwende." There was also a sidebar to Shirin's mother Prof. Lena and her research on three pioneer female film directors -- Consuelo Osorio, Carmen Concha, and Susana de Guzman, all played by Raquel Villavicencio!

The highlight of the whole film was Shirin's shoot in Patikul, Sulu with an all-Tausug cast led by Laila Urao as the bride Karsum. In obedience to Islamic rules, Shirin had to designate the imam's son Medzfar (Bong Cabrera) to bark out her orders. It started smoothly enough, with a reenactment of a Moslem wedding feast that ended in tragedy. As a famous photograph of the resulting carnage was recreated, a terrifying mystical experience engulfed the whole crew. This was a most mesmerizing sequence, especially since this eerie episode of possession really happened in real life. 

The bizarre editing choices for the varied eclectic elements of this film may prove confusing for mainstream viewers. Between a full-length Muslim dance led by 82 year old Ramon Magsaysay awardee Ligaya Amilbangsa and a montage of local pre-war Filipino films directed by women, Shirin had an extraordinary scene of radiant birth that you need to see to believe-- a startling metaphor about filmmaking that no viewer would soon forget. 8/10

 

Cinemalaya 2025: Review of PAGLILITIS: Hyped-up on Harassment

October 4, 2025

Jonalyn Samuel (Rissey Reyes-Robinson) worked as the second executive assistant of Eduardo Guzman (Leo Martinez), CEO of Mother's Pride, makers of infant milk formula. Over the three years that she had been working for him, there had been several instances that she was alone with him in his office, being ordered to do things that made her feel sexually harassed. When she threatened to report him, she was immediately fired.

Two years later, Jonalyn's case was brought to the attention of Atty. Sylvia Ardenia (Eula Valdez), who had been actively posting her advocacy against sexual harassment in the workplace on social media. Jonalyn had already moved on and found work as an online virtual assistant, so she was hesitant to file the case. However, upon prodding by her mother Myrna (Cherry Malvar) and younger sister Jasmine (Barbara Miguel), Jonalyn acquiesced. 

The title suggested that this second feature film directed by Cheska Marfori would be a courtroom drama. However, this case of sexual harassment and wrongful termination never really reached any courtroom. This was a trial in the court of public opinion via social media. Despite promises made by Atty. Ardenia about , details about Jonalyn's case still leaked out on the world wide web for the netizens to comment about and feast upon. 

Playing the character at the center of all this turmoil is Rissey Reyes-Robinson in her first lead role in a feature film.  She had two memorable scenes that sears into the hearts of viewers. The first scene was Jonalyn narrating her traumatic experiences in first recorded testimony with her lawyer. The second was a painful scene of Jonalyn slowly breaking down in tears when she realized that she might have made wrong decisions. Impressive deeply-felt acting.

Eula Valdez gave Atty. Ardenia a nebulous character that Jonalyn, and all of us, could never really figure out. Was she doing this for Jonalyn, or was she doing this for herself? Jackie Lou Blanco played Eduardo's deeply religious wife, Mrs. Mildred Guzman. She channeled Glenn Close's Marquise de Merteuil wiping off her makeup in front of a mirror, followed by a powerful wordless scene of her clearing out her husband's cabinet of his porn collection.

Over the final scenes, Marfori flashed statistics of women who have experienced sexual harassment in their welfare, and that there was probably a lot more who never reported their traumatic experiences at all. Ironically though, most of this film just showed all the reasons exactly why women decide not to fight for their rights in these cases. When Marfori tried to offer a solution at the end, she never came around to telling these women what to do. 6/10

Cinemalaya 2025: Review of HABANG NILALAMON NG HYDRA ANG KASAYSAYAN: Deconstructing Disinformation

October 4, 2025

When Eleanor Robles (Frances Makil-Ignacio) lost her bid to be president of the Philippines in the 2022 elections, her campaign manager was Kiko Consuelo (Jojit Lorenzo) and her speech writer was David Cruz (Zanjoe Marudo) were disillusioned. Kiko shared his frustrations with his wife Bea (Dolly De Leon), who held the family of new president-elect responsible for the disappearance of her father during the past oppressive regime of his father. 

Greek mythology professor David resumed writing a book using the Hydra as a metaphor for the myriad of problems that beset Philippine politics. Meanwhile, he met election lawyer Mela (Mylene Dizon) on a dating app. The two of them hit if off very well on the first date, so much that it eventually led to their engagement. On the day that his book was formally launched, David learned a fact about Mela's family that threatened their upcoming wedding.

This new feature film is like a spiritual sequel to writer-director Dustin Celestino's acclaimed Cinemalaya opus "Ang Duyan ng Magiting" (Cinemalaya, 2023). When compared to "Duyan," the technical aspects of "Hydra" felt more sophisticated even as the several of same crew worked behind the scenes. The cinematography by Kara Moreno looked more stylish here, while the musical score by Paulo Protacio was more prominent and pulsating. 

Like "Duyan," the true star is Celestino's screenplay. The story was also divided into chapters, this one had eight, each named for a memorable line within that chapter. Each chapter contained astutely-written dialog about political disinformation and injustice that challenge our own convictions. Aside from the titular Hydra, four other characters of Greek myth -- Sisyphus, Cassandra, Pandora and Tantalus -- were utilized as universal metaphors.

Again, like "Duyan," the ensemble of actors all understood their assignments. Two tense excellently-acted scenes make it to my list of best scenes of 2025. One was that post-book launch meal where the exchange of pleasantries between Bea and Mela turned from cordial to bitter. The other one was in the penultimate chapter where Bea faced the man she hated all her life. In both scenes, Dolly de Leon poured out heart and soul in gut-wrenching manner.

Even if it says that any similarities to real-life events were purely coincidental, it was quite obvious what this story was all about. In fact, everyone who watches this film will have gone through the same 2022 presidential campaign and elections. The memories and the feelings are still very fresh, making this indeed a one-of-a-kind movie experience. The enduring and eternal light of the final message touches everyone who shared that passion. 9/10

Netflix: Review of OUT OF ORDER: Sticking to the Script

October 4, 2025

Atty. Alex Roman (Alden Richards) practiced law in the rural town of Santa Blanca. He was down on his luck as his clients were generally unable to pay him enough, so his office was small, with a broken-down air conditioner. His staff consisted of one loyal assistant named Tolits (Nicco Manalo) whom he helped out of a legal scrape before. He just recently hired a receptionist, a film school dropout goth girl named Gabbie (Joyce Ching).

One day, he received a phone call from his estranged father, celebrity lawyer Atty. David Roman (Nonie Buencamino). He had been arrested on the suspicion of murdering a young trans-woman named Nadja Galang (Francine Garcia) inside a seedy motel. Despite being a partner of a big-time law firm, he specifically wanted Alex to represent him because he needed a lawyer he could trust. Alex accepted, for the sake of his late mother, and P500,000. 

This film produced by Viva Films was notable because it was the directorial debut of star Alden Richards, who also came up with the story.  The screenplay was written by Randy Q. Villanueva and Atty. Karen Lustica, likely for the legal aspects of the story. The best parts of this movie were the courtroom scenes presided over by Judge Wilhelmina Corpuz-Piedad (played by GMA executive and real-life lawyer Atty. Annette Gozon-Valdez). 

The film started as if it were a slapstick comedy. Alex was flirting with a waitress of a roadside eatery while eating noodles, then was chased down by a jealous ex-boyfriend with a bolo. It made a sudden turn into rom-com territory, as Alex confessed about a TOTGA over a round of beer, a pretty law school classmate who chewed the ends of her ballpens, who turned out to be the opposing counsel in his case, Atty. Jennifer Templo (Heaven Peralejo).

Richards tried a number of imaginative camera shots, like taking his reflection in the sideview mirror while he was talking to his staff in the car. However, some scenes had questionable choices in directorial style and execution. Why were the crime scene photographs taken with a red filter? Why was Gigi's not a higher class nightclub? I see Richards' intention to just colorize the red in the black and white flashback scene, but it was not cleanly done. Richards still has room for improvement as director but then again, he has just taken his first step.  4/10

Review of THE SMASHING MACHINE: Revelation of the Rock

October 2, 2025

In 1997, a 255 lbs, 6'1" Ultimate Fighting Championship mixed martial artist Mark Kerr (Dwayne Johnson) joined the Pride MMA competition in Tokyo, Japan for the first time and won. In 1999, before his championship match with Igor Vovchanchyn at Pride 7, Kerr mentioned in a pre-fight interview, that since he never lost, he cannot verbalize how it felt like. Little did he know that he was soon going to eat his own words. 

This biopic was written, directed and edited by Benny Safdie in his solo directorial debut. His previous directorial works, notably "Uncut Gems" (2019), were co-directed with his brother Josh. This was based on the 2002 documentary "The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr" directed by John Hyams. The part where he explains about MMA to an old lady in a doctor's waiting room was recreated in this new film.

The main reason to watch this film is to see Dwayne Johnson play the role which early pundits are betting on to be one of the five Oscar nominees for Best Actor. I was ready to see the Rock basically playing himself, as he was a professional wrestler. However, impressively, Johnson (and his makeup crew) actually convinced us that he was another wrestler, whether with hair on his head or not. I won't be surprised if he did get cited for this acting performance, that went the distance with a range of emotions we typically do not see from him before.

Kerr was basically portrayed to be a good guy, congenial and calm, whose one major flaw was his addiction to injectable opioid painkillers, which eventually would eat into his relationship with girlfriend Dawn Staples, played by Emily Blunt.  Blunt's Dawn was written in a way that she was the villain in the career of Kerr. She came across as a self-centered drama queen who had meltdowns at the most inopportune situations, interfering with Kerr's focus.

Ukranian boxer Oleksandr Usyk, who played Kerr's nemesis Igor Vovchanchyn, is the undisputed heavyweight champion of boxing in 2025. American MMA star Ryan Bader, who played Kerr's best friend Mark Coleman, owned the longest streak of wins as heavyweight champ in Bellator MMA. Kickboxer-wrestler-MMA Bas Rutten who played himself as Kerr's trainer, was a veteran of action films since the 1990s, in his highest profile role to date. 

Also very notable in this film is its pop music soundtrack that included "Santeria" by Sublime, "Every Morning" by Sugar Ray, "Rhythm of My Heart" by Rod Stewart, "Just Another Day" by Jon Secada, "Tempted" by Squeeze, "Back at One" by Brian McKnight. Standouts were the cover of "Don't Be Cruel" by Billy Swan and "My Way" by Elvis Presley. There was also an electric guitar version of Japanese national anthem "Kimigayo" by Tomoyasu Osei, as well as a New Age harp version of the Star Spangled Banner by Nala Sinephro. 

This film documented the transition of MMA from a no-holds-barred, anything-goes combat sport to a "less brutal" one with no more biting, eye gouging, head butting, knee and kick to face when opponent is faced down allowed. These action sequences were very tightly shot, making us absorb the powerful impact of every takedown, slam, punch and kick, especially with the intense sound effects editing. Like "Rocky," there were also training montages here, but Safdie was not going to follow the usual sports film formula to the letter. 7/10